Software Package Statistica Research Articles

2019–2020 measles in the Republic of Guinea: epidemic features and herd immunity

Introduction. In connection with the Ebola epidemic in the West African countries, including the Republic of Guinea, a failure in implementing measles immunization program was noted. A proportion of measles seronegative subjects in 2017 was 52.4% of total examined individuals. In 2018, a high proportion of measles cases among children aged 1–5 years (61.6%) was identified. In order to stop the 2018 outbreak, the Supplemental Immunization Campaign was conducted in the Konakri and Nzerekore prefectures in the Republic of Guinea. The aim of this study was to examine the 2019–2020 measles epidemic situation and assess the measles population immunity in the Republic of Guinea. Materials and methods. Measles-specific antibodies were examined in 1697 blood serum samples collected from residents of different regions of the Republic of Guinea, aged from 7 months to 76 years, obtained in 2019–2020, and tested retrospectively. The ELISA test systems Anti-Measles Virus ELISA (IgM) Euroimmun and Anti-Measles Virus ELISA (IgG) Euroimmun (Germany) were used. The presence of serum IgM measles antibodies was considered as acute measles infection. Statistical analysis was performed using the software package Statistica 6.0. Results. Blood sera (n = 638) were tested for IgM-measles, and in 46.6% of cases the diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests. The biggest proportion of the total cases (61.6%) was found in children aged 1–4 years. The second most important age group was 5–9 years of age, the third is children under 1 year: 18.5% and 11.8% of the total number of patients, respectively. Measles infection was registered in vaccinated patients in 7.4% of the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases. 1059 subjects were examined for IgG measles antibody. The lowest seroprevalence rate was found among children under 4 years of age (47.8%). The highest (85.5%) was found among subjects of 40 years old and older. Conclusion. Measles in GR remains a poorly controlled infection. As in the previous years of observation (2017–2018), children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable cohort of the population, despite the 2018 DI campaign conducted in a number of GR territories. More problems with the measles control in the Republic of Guinea are expected in the period from 2021, as along with the COVID-19 epidemic, Ebola is repeatedly registered in the country. The Republic of Guinea particularly requires assistance from the international community to implement the WHO measles elimination program on a global scale.

Оценка сочетанного применения холекальциферола и антигипертензивной терапии у лиц с артериальной гипертензией

Актуальность.Целью исследования стала оценка влияния применения холекальциферола в дозе 2000 МЕ в сутки на уровень 25(ОН)D в сыворотке и артериальное давление на фоне антигипертензивной терапии у больных с артериальной гипертензией II стадии. Материалы и методы. Мы провели проспективное одноцентровое исследование у 115 больных со II стадией АГ (91 женщина и 24 мужчины), средний возраст 50,7 ± 7,1 года. Продолжительность периода наблюдения составила в среднем 15,8 ± 1,8 мес. (от 12 до 18 мес.). Пациенты получали антигипертензивную терапию в соответствии с европейскими рекомендациями: ингибиторы ангиотензинпревращающего фермента или антагонисты рецепторов ангиотензина — лозартан, или диуретики (гидрохлортиазид или индапамид) в составе комбинированной терапии, или антагонисты кальция — амлодипин, или бета-адреноблокаторы, или их сочетание. Каждому второму пациенту было рекомендовано принимать витамин D в виде холекальциферола в дозе 2000 МЕ/день ежедневно. Всем пациентам проводили общий анализ крови, общий анализ мочи, определение сахара в крови натощак, мочевины в сыворотке крови, креатинина в сыворотке крови, систолического и диастолического артериального давления, антропометрических данных, электрокардиографию. Уровень общего витамина D в сыворотке крови определяли с помощью иммуноферментного анализа. Статистический анализ выполняли, используя программный пакет «STATISTICA 10.0» (SN AXAR207F394425FA-Q). Результаты. Было выявлено, что прием диуретиков (гидрохлортиазида в дозе 12,5–25 мг или индапамида в дозе 1,5 мг) в составе комбинированной антигипертензивной терапии оказывает влияние на изменения 25(ОН)D в сыворотке (F = 5,35; p = 0,02) и его уровень (F = 11,8; p = 0,0009). Изменения систолического артериального давления были более выражены (–27,4 ± 17,9) в группе пациентов, получавших диуретик и холекальциферол, по сравнению с группой сравнения, что соответствовало уровню достоверности p < 0,001. В той же группе была выявлена взаимосвязь между динамикой систолического артериального давления и длительностью приема холекальциферола (R = 0,42; p = 0,023). Было обнаружено достоверное влияние как холекальциферола (F = 4,1; p = 0,046), так и диуретиков (F = 14,3; p = 0,0003). Выводы. Тиазидные или тиазидоподобные диуретики оказывают отрицательное влияние на уровень 25(OH)D в сыворотке. Сочетанное применение холекальциферола и диуретика в дозе 2000 МЕ в сутки для лечения пациентов с АГ II стадии позволяет достичь наибольшего антигипертензивного эффекта в отношении систолического артериального давления без риска избыточной концентрации витамина D в организме.

Peculiarities of transformation of psychophysiological characteristics of military pilots, practically healthy and patients with stage I hypertension. Message I. Restructuring of performance correlates related to the health status of military pilots

Annotation. The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the transformation of professionally important psychophysiological qualities of military pilots, practically healthy and with stage I hypertension (80 people). Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the methods of variation statistics, nonparametric statistics – correlation (Spearman’s correlation coefficient), cluster analysis (k-means method) using the software package STATISTICA 13.3. It has been established that hypertension affects the structure of correlations of psychophysiological functions of the body, which indicates a difference in the mechanisms of regulation of these functions during the development of the disease. It is shown that even healthy military pilots have different levels of mental capacity and can show their psychophysiological qualities in different ways, especially in extreme conditions. In addition, it was found that in the presence of hypertension in the body of a third of pilots show compensatory reactions to increase the activation of body functions, which, in turn, increases the physiological cost of professional activity, to reduce which must periodically apply treatment and rehabilitation measures.

Assessing the influence of special treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer on the urinary system long-term effects

Background. Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common endocrine tumour. Its prevalence varies from 1.0% to 2.2% of all malignant neoplasms. The standard strategy of special treatment of DTC consists of surgery, radionuclide therapy and hormone therapy being sequentially applied. Theoretically, each component of the treatment process can cause adverse somatic consequences in future, the study of which can help to prevent and correct them. Purpose – to evaluate possible long-term effects of the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer in the form of the urinary system (US) pathologies on the basis of follow-up data of long-term observation using sophisticated information technologies. Materials and methods. The study was based on follow-up data of 157 individuals who were undergoing combination treatment of DTC at the Institute clinic from 1993 to 2015, received it in full and underwent regular screening examinations after treatment. The database created for the study contained, as much as possible, digitized arrays of follow-up data of paper case-records on the disease and its consequences in patients with a follow-up period exceeding 1 year after special treatment. The number of logical records of long-term consequences in the generated database was 463 units – one record for one type of long-term consequences of each of 157 patients. Statistical processing of data was carried out in two ways: comparing the incidence of US pathologies before treatment and at a long time after special treatment and identifying factors of statistically significant influence on the occurrence of US pathologies among the treatment peculiarities. WizWhy packages (Data Mining category) and the general purpose software package STATISTICA were used to make hypotheses and test them. Results and discussion. The analysis of the available references has shown that there is only a limited number of papers dealing with the US status of DTC patients. However, a comprehensive analysis of the long-term consequences of treatment of DTC patients revealed a statistically significant increase of US disease cases within the period of 3.75 – 4.8 years after special treatment. It was shown that the total number of US pathologies was 2.04 times higher in comparison with US incidence before the oncet of special treatment. These differences did not depend on age: the median for age of patients before treatment was 51 years, after treatment – 50 years. Additionally, it has been found that patients with or without episodes of postoperative hypothyroidism decompensation with a dose of L-thyroxine not exceeding 2.5 μg/kg need special attention due to the occurrence of urolithiasis. The obtained dependences are quite predictable, since, firstly, it is known that thyroid hormones affect kidney development and physiology, and secondly, the major percent of 131I in radioiodine therapy is excreted with the urine and deposited in the bladder, that can result in a radio-induced carcinogenic effect. Conclusions. Special treatment of DTC increases US pathologies more than twice. The term of post-treatment pathologies is 2.5 (3.75 – 4.8) years. Patients who have episodes of postoperative hypothyroidism during hormone therapy with a dose of L-thyroxine not exceeding 2.5 μg / kg represent the high-risk group.

Особенности иммунного статуса детей с разной тяжестью атопического дерматита

Актуальность. Атопический дерматит (АД) — наиболее распространенное атопическое заболевание среди детей, характеризующееся поражением кожи с выраженным зудом. Развитие АД связывают с генетической предрасположенностью, влиянием эпигенетических факторов, которые приводят к нарушению эпидермальной барьерной функции, иммунодисрегуляцией и IgE-опосредованной сенсибилизацией к наиболее распространенным аллергенам. Особое значение исследователи придают не только поляризации Th2-иммунного ответа, но и особенностям работы врожденного звена иммунитета. Целью исследования было изучить особенности иммунного статуса у детей с учетом тяжести течения атопического дерматита. Материалы и методы. Основную группу составили 85 детей в возрасте от 3 месяцев до 3 лет с верифицированным диагнозом АД, группу контроля — 20 детей без проявлений атопии в анамнезе. Для оценки тяжести кожных проявлений использовали шкалу SCORAD. Дети, которые принимали участие в исследовании, были разделены на группы по тяжести АД. Всем детям проводился общий клинический анализ крови. Изучение иммунного статуса у детей основной группы включало типирование лимфоцитарной популяции по CD-маркерам (C3, C4–2, CD3+, CD19–, CD4+, CD8–, CD4–, CD8+, CD3–, CD56+, CD19+, CD14, CD45), измерение уровней IgA, IgM, IgG, IgE, исследование системы комплемента (С3, С4–2), фагоцитарной активности нейтрофилов и пролиферативной активности лимфоцитов проводилось методом проточной цитометрии в ООО «Синэво». Метод иммуноферментного анализа использовался для выявления уровней интерлейкина (ИЛ)-13 (ELISA Kit, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Австрия), исследование проводилось на базе Учебного медико-лабораторного центра Запорожского государственного медицинского университета. Статистическую обработку результатов проводили с помощью официального программного пакета Statistica 13.0. Результаты. У детей с тяжелым течением АД и уровнями ИЛ-13 ниже уровней контрольной группы и групп детей с тяжелым и среднетяжелым течением наблюдалась эозинофилия периферической крови, прирост CD4+, CD8– с одновременным снижением уровней CD4–, CD8+, дисиммуноглобулинемия и низкие уровни С3 по сравнению с другими группами исследования (р < 0,05). Выводы. Полученные результаты позволяют предположить, что у детей тяжелое течение АД было связано с изменениями системы комплемента и низкими уровнями цитотоксических клеток, транзиторной гипогаммаглобулинемией, что, в свою очередь, требует более детального изучения каскадов иммунологических реакций у детей с АД.

Significance of determination of hemodynamic phenotypes in early diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders in children with diabetes mellitus

Aim. To stratify hemodynamic phenotypes in children with diabetes mellitus and their frequency, depending on the duration of the disease. Materials and methods. The study involved 72 children suffering from diabetes, aged 10 to 16 years who were divided into 3 groups. The first group – 22 children with diabetes mellitus up to 1 year. The second group – 24 patients with a disease duration of 1 to 5 years. The third group – 26 children with the disease over 5 years. Control group – 20 children, representative by age and sex. All children underwent daily blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) with the ABPM-04 device (Meditech Ltd, Hungary). Diagnosis of latent hemodynamic disorders was performed by the method of quantitative analysis of the relationships of blood pressure parameters, which involved a linear regression of systolic blood pressure by pulse blood pressure. According to the results of regression, 6 hemodynamic phenotypes were determined, which characterized the individual features of the circulatory system: harmonic, myocardial-insufficient subtype of harmonic, borderline diastolic harmonic, borderline systolic harmonic, dysfunctional diastolic and dysfunctional systolic. According to ABPM results, the ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) was calculated using a linear regression equation. The results were statistically processed using statistics software package Statistica 13.0 (StatSoft Inc., No. JPZ8041382130ARCN10-J). Results. It was found that in the dynamics of diabetes the registration of the harmonic hemodynamic phenotype during the day decreased due to an increase in the proportion of patients with dysfunctional diastolic hemodynamic phenotype. At the same time, in children with diabetes, there was a significant increase in AASI from the first year of the disease with a progressive increase with its dynamics. The highest values of AASI were observed in dysfunctional hemodynamic phenotype. Conclusions. In children with diabetes mellitus observed the formation of disharmonious hemodynamic phenotypes in the dynamics of the disease. In combination with increased vascular stiffness these changes realized in systemic circulatory disorders and the development of a diabetic angiopathy. Detected disorders, apparently, became the risk factors of hypertension. Determination of hemodynamic phenotype in children with diabetes mellitus can be used as screening method for preclinical diagnosis of latent disorders of the cardiovascular system, early treatment and prevention.

Formation of biofilms by representatives of the oral microflora on the surfaces of basic materials

The aim of the work is to conduct a comparative analysis of the biofilm formation by representatives of the oral microflora on the surfaces of basic materials. Materials and methods. The process of biofilm formation was examined on 7 types of basic plastic samples: Polyan, Breflex, Nylon, Protakryl, Vinakryl, Biocryl, which were used for the manufacture of removable prosthetic basis constructions, and SYNMA, which was used for comparison. Biofilm formation was analyzed by the method Y. Zhang (2017) with minor modifications. The test sample was placed in a test tube with 2.0 ml of nutrient broth Brain Heart Infusion to model the biofilm growth of microorganisms (HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., India) supplemented with 1 % glucose, pre-inoculated with test strains at a final concentration of 1 × 104 CFU/ml. The strains were cultivated for 24 hours at a temperature of 37 °C under continuous stirring in a shaker MR-1 (SIA BIOS AN, Latvia) at 20 rpm. Evaluation of the biofilm massiveness was performed after gentian violet staining followed by elution of the stain with ethanol and registration of the eluent optical density (OD). The OD was measured with a Synergy™ HTX S1LFTA microplate multimode photometer (BioTek Instruments, Inc., USA) at 595 nm wavelength using Gen5™ Data Analysis Software. The number of viable bacterial cells in the formed biofilms was determined by the method of ten-fold serial dilutions. The obtained results were converted per unit area of the sample tested. Processing of the results was performed using a two-sample t-test with the software package Statistica 13.0 and Microsoft Office Excel, the differences were considered statistically significant at a P value of < 0.05. Statistical analysis of the obtained data was presented as mean values of measurements ± standard deviation for three independent experiments. Results. According to the microbiological analysis results it was found that α-hemolytic streptococci S. oralis and S. sanguinis showed the ability to form biofilms on the surfaces of basic materials, namely Protacryl and Vinacryl, the total biomass of S. sanguinis biofilms was 47.7 % (P < 0.01) and 14.7 % (P > 0.05) greater, respectively, in comparison to a glass slide. Inhibition of biofilm formation processes was observed on the surfaces of Nylon and Biocryl basic materials. S. oralis and S. gordonii showed the highest ability to survive in biofilms. The intensity of C. albicans biofilms formation on Biocryl basic materials, comparative plastics SINMA and Breflex basic materials was greater than on glass slides by 48.3 %, 43.0 % and 34.9 % (P < 0.01), respectively. The least massive C. albicans biofilms were formed on Breflex surfaces and SINMA comparative plastics in comparison to glass slides by 33.6 % and 24.8 % (P < 0.01), respectively. Both Candida strains had the highest level of fungal viability in biofilms on Breflex, Polyan and Protacryl basic materials (P < 0.01), and C. tropicalis biofilms on Biocryl and Vinacryl basic materials (P < 0.05). Integral coefficients indicated the inhibition of the oral microflora ability to form biofilms on the surfaces of basic materials. Conclusions. Oral α-hemolytic and β-hemolytic streptococci have the ability to intensive biofilm growth on the surfaces of the basic materials Protacryl and Vinacryl. Oral Candida albicans form massive biofilms on the surfaces of Biocryl and Vinacryl basic materials and comparative SYNMA plastics. The basic materials Breflex, Nylon and comparative plastics SYNMA are the most inert to biofilm formation by the oral microflora representatives.

Determination of administered activities for the treatment of Graves' disease with iodine-131: Proposition of a simplified dosimetric procedure.

This prospective study included 35 patients suffering from Graves' disease (GD) clinically and biologically confirmed by endocrinologists, sent to the nuclear medicine department of CHU de Bab El Oued, Algiers for iodine-131 therapy. CHU de Bab El Oued is a tertiary hospital located in the center of the capital Algiers. The aim of this study is to propose a simplified dosimetric procedure which will initiate iodine-131 therapy of GD in particular and hyperthyroidism in general in Niger. The determination of the maximum uptake was performed with a Biodex external probe at 2 h, 4 h, and 24 h after the administration of 3 MBq of liquid iodine-131. The iodine-131 activities were determined using the Marinelli formula with a predefined effective half-life (Te) of 5 days and subsequently extrapolated half-life with kaleidagraph software. The statistical analysis was performed using an excel sheet and analyzed using the software package Statistica 10 (stat Soft, Tulsa, USA). the male:female gender ratio was1:4.5 and the mean age was 42.56 years (±7.14). The body mass index was within normal range with a value of 25.25 kg2(±0.42) and the mean average thyroid mass was equal to 24.05 (±10.53) g. The mean uptake value at 24 h was 43.24% (±17.68%) meanwhile the maximum uptake value was 46.28 (±21.13%). The estimated effective half-life (Te) was 5.44 days (±1.96) days which were different from the predefined Te of 5 days. The mean activity determined with fixed Te and 24 h uptake was 244.45 (±109.2) MBq and the mean activity calculated with both extrapolated Te and maximum uptake was 452.22 (±381.9) MBq. Empirical determination of activity in the treatment of GD gives higher activities (1.5 times) to patients than dosimetric methods based on the determination of extrapolated effective half-life.

Subjective Assessment of Risk Factors Associated with Electronic Device Usage by Healthcare Professionals

Introduction. In modern conditions of rapid development of information and communication technologies, healthcare workers start experiencing adverse health effects of such risk factors as an uncontrolled use of electronic devices and associated physical inactivity, sleep deprivation, and impaired work/rest patterns during their professional training. Our purpose was to study subjective assessment of risks from electronic device usage by medical workers. Methods. A specially developed questionnaire was distributed among 148 doctors, 72 nurses and paramedics, and 119 professors of medical universities. In addition to that, selective measurements of body composition were taken in homogeneous cohorts of female healthcare professionals serving as teachers of clinical departments of medical universities (33) or nurses (36) who gave an informed consent to participate in the study and filled out the questionnaire. The statistical software package Statistica 13 PL (StatSoft, USA) was used for statistical data processing. Results. In general, the respondents gave an adequate assessment of health effects of electronic device usage. Nurses and paramedics appeared to be the least trained in issues of the safe use of electronic devices. Almost 61 % of them had varying degrees of overweight and obesity; yet, 51.4 % of nurses and paramedics rated their health as good being aware of the risks related to overweight. Medical university staff adequately assessed potential health risks and demonstrated better skills of a safe use of electronic devices in everyday life, payed more attention to their physical activity and nutrition, and were committed to developing appropriate competencies in their students. Conclusion. Development of skills of a risk-free electronic device usage in healthcare professionals should begin in a medical school.

The effectiveness of the process of restoring the functional status of servicemen who were in the area of the Joint Forces operation

Psychological rehabilitation of combatants is especially relevant today, when the hybrid war in the east of our country has been going on for eight years. The scale of this phenomenon in Ukrainian society requires an active study of the psychological problems of servicemen that have emerged during this time. The aim of the work is to determine the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation of servicemen after being in the combat zone according to the indicators of emotional burnout. A specially designed questionnaire was used to assess the impressions of combat and domestic problems that arise in the military in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in relation to the effects of internal and external factors of combatants. To determine the development of chronic fatigue, the method "Diagnosis of emotional burnout" by Boyko V. V. was used. Statistical analysis of the obtained results was carried out with the involvement of methods of parametric and nonparametric statistics, cluster, stepwise multiple correlation and stepwise discriminant analysis using the software package STATISTICA 13.3. Analysis of the obtained data showed that six psychophysiological qualities (Rsl=0.67) were the most related to the parameter of stress load "before" treatment. The list of informative characteristics indicates the high activity of the body of servicemen, the dependence of endurance of their nervous system, the level of concentration and reliability of activity from the received stress. After treatment, the number of informative psychophysiological indicators decreases significantly, and the strength of the connection with stress increases slightly (Rsl=0.78), which indicates the gradual restoration of relevant body functions. It was found that the characteristics of emotions are associated with stress (Rsl=0.52). Before treating these relationships, there are three feelings: "self-dissatisfaction", "caged", "emotional and moral disorientation". After treatment, this connection is slightly reduced along with the elimination of the emotion of "self-dissatisfaction", which characterizes the gradual ordering, systematization of the feelings of the combatant, starting with the relationship to himself. It was found that the average efficiency of 10-day treatment is 16.7 %, which indicates the benefit of restorative procedures. Information technology has been developed that allows to quantify the outcome of treatment, the use of which will allow a meaningful approach to the treatment process, to carry out dynamic control of its results and improve rehabilitation techniques.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy of preventive therapy in pregnant women with ulcerative colitis

Annotation. “Voluntary childlessness” as a consequence of fear of infertility, doubts about the ability to cope with pregnancy in the presence of the disease, the hereditary nature of the disease and adverse effects on the fetus; improper medication; self-modification or discontinuation of therapy in patients with CIBD (chronic inflammatory bowel disease) are significant not only medical but also social problems that currently remain unresolved. The aim of this work is to provide up-to-date evidence for the optimal diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel disease before conception, during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. A detailed analysis of the social, somatic, gynecological and obstetric history of women with inflammatory bowel disease was performed. The examined patients were divided into the main group (ulcerative colitis) (n=40) and control groups (almost healthy women) (n=30). The first main clinical group underwent prophylactic therapy using a drug containing active folate of the 4th generation "Quatrefolic" (equivalent to 400 μg of folic acid), potassium iodide 1 table. per day and vitamin D 1000 IU per day, starting from the planning stage of pregnancy). The second major clinical group received, in addition to Quatrefolic and potassium iodide, vitamin D 4,000 IU per day during the pre-pregnancy phase and 2,000 IU per day during pregnancy and 1,000 IU per day in cases of placental dysfunction and anemia. The formation of observation groups was carried out by methods of continuous and selective analysis. Statistical processing of research results was performed using the software package Statistica 6.0. The obtained indicators were processed statistically with the determination of the arithmetic mean (M) and the error of the standard deviation (±m), at p<0,05. Risk ratio (RR) and confidence interval (CI) were determined with a given reliable probability p=95%. Comparison of groups by case frequency was performed using the exact Fisher test (two-way criterion). Pregnant women with ulcerative colitis have a better clinical efficacy of preventive therapy using the 4th generation active folate “Quatrefolic” (equivalent to 400 mcg of folic acid) and vitamin D 4000 IU at the pre-pregnancy stage and 2000 IU after pregnancy verification compared with active folate 4th generation “Quatrefolic” (equivalent to 400 mcg of folic acid) and vitamin D 1000 IU.

Some characteristics of social support for patients with depressive disorders

Annotation. In order to study the features of social support, a survey of 245 patients with depressive disorders was conducted using a multidimensional scale of perception of social support (MSPSS) D. Zimet as modified by V.M. Yaltonsky and N.A. Sirota. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the licensed software package Statistica 13 (StatSoft Inc., USA). The Shapiro-Wilk test, the Mann-Whitney test, the nonparametric method of Spearmen’s rank correlations was used at p<0.05. Low levels of social support for patients with depression in general, and from family, friends and significant others, with the highest level of social support patients associate with friends, slightly lower – with family, and the lowest – with significant others. There is a decrease in the level of social support with increasing age of patients, most pronounced in the age group of 45 years and older. Sex-related differences were found: lower levels of social support for men than for women, and greater importance for women from family support, and for men from friends and significant others. The presence of inverse correlations of mostly moderate strength between the level of social support and the severity of psychopathological symptoms, with the closest correlations for hostility (rS=-0.551), depression (rS=-0.541) and reactive anxiety (rS=-0.478), and a direct correlation of mostly moderate strength between the level of social support and the state of psychosocial adaptation (rS=0.441), emotional comfort (rS=0.406), internality (rS=0.378), self-acceptance (rS=0.354), acceptance of others (rS=0.343), indicators of quality of life in areas of subjective wellbeing / satisfaction (rS=0.413), fulfillment of social roles (rS=0.405), external living conditions (rS=0.401) and integral indicator of quality of life (rS=0.443), indicators of hardiness (rS=0.516), including commitment (rS=0.515), control (rS=0.444) and challenge (rS=0.332). The identified patterns should be taken into account in the development of treatment, rehabilitation and prevention measures for patients with depressive disorders.

Polyphenol-Rich Aronia melanocarpa Juice Consumption Affects LINE-1 DNA Methylation in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes in Dyslipidemic Women.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with alterations in DNA methylation and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profile, both modulated by dietary polyphenols. The present parallel, placebo-controlled study (part of the original clinical study registered as NCT02800967 at www.clinicaltrials.gov) aimed to determine the impact of 4-week daily consumption of polyphenol-rich Aronia melanocarpa juice (AMJ) treatment on Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 (LINE-1) methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes and on plasma PUFAs, in subjects (n = 54, age range of 40.2 ± 6.7 years) at moderate CVD risk, including an increased body mass index, central obesity, high normal blood pressure, and/or dyslipidemia. The goal was also to examine whether factors known to affect DNA methylation (folate intake levels, MTHFR C677T gene variant, anthropometric and metabolic parameters) modulated the LINE-1 methylation levels upon the consumption of polyphenol-rich aronia juice. Experimental analysis of LINE-1 methylation was done by MethyLight method. MTHFR C677T genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method, and folate intake was assessed by processing the data from the food frequency questionnaire. PUFAs were measured by gas–liquid chromatography, and serum lipid profile was determined by using Roche Diagnostics kits. The statistical analyses were performed using Statistica software package. In the comparison after vs. before the treatment period, in dyslipidemic women (n = 22), we observed significant decreases in LINE-1 methylation levels (97.54 ± 1.50 vs. 98.39 ± 0.86%, respectively; P = 0.01) and arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio [29.17 ± 15.21 vs. 38.42 (25.96–89.58), respectively; P = 0.02]. The change (after vs. before treatment) in LINE-1 methylation directly correlated with the presence of MTHFR 677T allele, average daily folate intake, and the change in serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol but inversely correlated with the change in serum triacylglycerols (R = 0.72, R2 = 0.52, adjusted R2 = 0.36, P = 0.03). The current results imply potential cardioprotective effects of habitual polyphenol-rich aronia juice consumption achieved through the modifications of DNA methylation pattern and PUFAs in subjects at CVD risk, which should be further confirmed. Hence, the precision nutrition-driven modulations of both DNA methylation and PUFA profile may become targets for new approaches in the prevention of CVD.

THE FOLLICLEGENESIS IN THE THYROID GLAND IN THE POSTNATAL PERIOD OF ONTOGENESIS UNDER PRENATAL ANTIGENIC INFLUENCE

Antigenic influence at critical terms of ontogenesis can cause significant changes in the child's immune system. It is known that the entry of antigens into the fetus causes premature release of T-lymphocytes from the thymus and their migration to various organs. The paper was aimed at the study of the folliclegenesis of the thyroid gland in postnatal period at norm and after prenatal influence of staphylococcal toxoid. In the experimental research as a material were thyroid glands of Wistar rats aged 1 to 60 days of postnatal development (162 animals), about 6 animals in each group. Three animals groups were studied on 1, 3, 7, 11, 14, 21, 30, 45, 60 days after bith. I gr. - intact animals (norm); ІІ gr. - control, animals which were injected intrauterine 0.9% NaCl solution; III - experimental animals injected with staphylococcal toxoid liquid purified adsorbed (10-14 units of binding in 1 ml, diluted 10 portions) by operation intrauterinely on the 18th day of dated pregnancy. Histological sections 3-5 μm thick were stained by hematoxylin and eosin, histochemicaly by alcian blue and azan staining. Immunohistochemical study was performed according to the protocol recommended for a particular antibody of the manufacturer. Used ki-67 (Ki-67), TTF-1 (8G7G3/1), Fox-1 (A-12) monoclonal antibodies by Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. A set of morphometric studies was performed by microscope Carl Zeiss Primo Star equipped with the Axiocam digital microphoto attachment with using program complex Zeiss Zen 2011. The results were considered reliable at p≤0,05. For processing of statistical material was used the standard software package Microsoft Office Excel and Statistica 10.0.The results were obtained about morphogenesis of rat’s thyroid after intrauterine antigenic action of staphylococcal toxoid. Morphofunctional homeostasis and stromal-parenchymal proportional relationship to thyroid gland closely associated with the activity of immune cells, including special role of lymphocytes, macrophages, and mast cells. Prenatal influence of staphylococcal toxoid led to the formation of a more pronounced structure of the parenchyma and stroma, but they showed signs of functional immaturity after birth. During the sucking period, the simultaneous presence of intra-, extrafollicular, septal and intramural types of folliculogesis is determined, which is a local reaction to systemic antigenic irritation with activation of compensatory-adaptive reactive folliclegenesis. The revealed changes in the process of folliclegenesis, accompanied by venous plethora, the formation of intraorgan diffuse lymphoid tissue and nodules, desquamation of the follicular epithelium, redistribution of the follicle diameter is a reaction to the systemic antigenic effect on the body during the critical period of prenatal development and normalizes by 45 days.Keywords: morphogenesis, thyroid gland, antigen, staphylococcal toxoid, experiment.

Formation of Sustainable Competitiveness of Enterprises on Soils of Different Quality

The objective of this paper is to highlight the results of assessing the impact of soil quality on the sustainable competitiveness of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. The general hypothesis of the research is based on the assumption of available positive relations between soil quality and sustainable competitiveness of enterprises. The average content of humus is taken as an integral index of soil quality. The authors used correlation analysis (for determine the relationship density between content of humus and subindexes of sustainable competitiveness), econometric modeling (for study of the dependence between content of humus and subindexes of sustainable competitiveness), economic-statistical (for evaluation and analysis of the impact of content of humus on the sustainable competitiveness), abstract-and-logical (for theoretical generalization and analysis of the research results), and graphical (for the visual representation of the revealed dependencies). To receive the results, the statistical software package STATISTICA is used. The obtained results prove the hypothesis of a positive relationship between content of humus and sustainable competitiveness only in the area of sufficient moisture. For example, the research reveals a high direct correlation relation (r = 0.735) between the subindexes of competitiveness by the yield of cereals and content of humus in soil in Chernihiv region. For the first time, one- and two-factor linear and quadratic econometric models were developed, which made it possible to carry out quantitative estimation of the impact of content of humus on the formation of sustainable competitiveness.

The Impact of the Academic Advising Style on the Development of an Academic Integrity Culture among Future PhD Candidates

Our research studied the impact of academic advising style on the development of a culture of academic integrity among PhD candidates. The study involved 52 postgraduate students and their 52 academic advisors. The results obtained were analyzed through general scientific methods. We used a closed-ended questionnaire to gather data from academic advisors, open-ended questions for postgraduate students, mathematical data processing techniques, and the Statistica software package to interpret data. The empirical data indicates that a pastoral academic advising style was applied by 17,3% of advisors, a laissez-faire style by 11,5%, a contractual style by 40,4%, and a directorial style by 30,8% of advisors in this study. Correlating these results with data on postgraduate students’ level of academic integrity culture lead to the conclusion that the contractual style of academic advising could be regarded as the most beneficial for raising the level of academic integrity culture of postgraduate students (33,3% of students of advisors with this style had a high level of academic integrity culture). The weakest style for improving the level of academic integrity culture of students is the pastoral style (11,1%). Moreover, it is obvious that most academic advisors (40,4%) use the mutually beneficial contractual style. The quantitative increase of advising style indicators corresponding to the contractual type entails higher values for students’ academic integrity culture. The relationship between advising style and level of academic integrity culture is not linear, and we cannot argue that an academic advisor with a contractual leadership style adheres to all the desirable principles of academic integrity culture. Further investigations are required if more specific and diversified conclusions are to be made. Furthermore, we should take into account that other members of the academic staff also have an impact on the formation and improvement of the academic integrity culture of postgraduate students.

МЕХАНИЗМ РАЗВИТИЯ ГЛУБОКОЙ ПЕРЕРАБОТКИ ДРЕВЕСИНЫ

The paper considers the task of developing the key elements of the mechanism for the development of deep processing of wood. The key directions of the timber industry development are determined. The most important elements are the availability of resources and the quality management of deep processing. Wood resources are identified as key for the enterprises under consideration. Individual results of the study were processed in the Statistica software package. The shown dependence of the profitability of deep processing of wood on the depth of processing and the control of the management system over the processes of the enterprise indicates the need for further development of deep processing and business structures along the path of integration and optimization of production processes.

PREMATURE AND FAVORABLE VASCULAR AGING IN YOUNG PEOPLE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT BLOOD PRESSURE

Abstract Objective: Features of vascular aging in young people have been studied very poorly to date. Meanwhile, increased vascular stiffness is regarded by experts as a realized risk factor. Purpose was to assess the representation of different variants of elastic vascular potential in young people depending on the level of blood pressure and taking into account sex. Design and method: 243 freshmen students including 81 boys and 162 girls were examined on the basis of the Health Center of StSMU within the framework of the National Preventive Project University is Territory of Health. All the examined patients were divided into quartile groups according to such an indicator of vascular stiffness as cardiovascular vascular index or CAVI, which was determined using the diagnostic complex VaSera-1500, Fucuda Denshia, Japan. According to some experts, the fourth quartile of this distribution corresponds to early vascular aging or EVA syndrome. The first quartile corresponds to favorable vascular aging. Then the representation of carriers of prehypertension (PH) and arterial hypertension (AH) in each of the four quartile groups was analyzed. The same analysis was carried out among carriers of normotension and hypotension. Data processing was carried out using the software package Statistica 10.0, StatSoft Inc, USA. Results: The representation of both boys and girls with normal and reduced blood pressure is slightly higher in the first quartile CAVI-group. The representation of young men with increased blood pressure is also somewhat greater in the first quartile CAVI-group. The bulk of girls with high blood pressure is represented in the first and second quartile CAVI-groups. Conclusions: Among freshmen with different levels of blood pressure there are carriers of different variants of elastic vascular potential. At the same time, regardless of the BP level, carriers of favorable vascular aging dominate among young people. Cases of premature vascular aging also occur among individuals with any level of blood pressure. This suggests the need for an optimized approach to the formation of youth groups of cardiovascular risk, taking into account not only traditional risk factors such as hypertension, but also the characteristics of vascular elastic status.

Eco-investing in the Russian Federation: analytical retrospective assessment, restraints, and mechanisms of its economic incentive

The relevance of this research is substantiated by the need for prompt from a transition from the consumer model of economic growth towards the investment model for maintaining the long-term economic growth potential even in the conditions of planetary manifestations of large-scale environmental challenges. The authors promote economic investment as the prerequisite and “accelerator” of economic growth, which is adequate to the set goal of sustainable development for the period 2016–2030, “responsible” by nature and “transformative” by its functional role. The article aims to conduct the analytical retrospective assessment of the state of eco-investing in the Russian Federation over the period 2000–2019, determine its restraints, as well as the effective mechanisms for its economic incentive. Research methodology employs a range of procedures and methods that allow acquiring objective conclusions on the matter, namely: form databases of statistical data necessary for the analysis; intellectual data mining with instrumental support of the software package Statistica; and multifactor regression analysis. The author builds the regression models of resource potential of eco-investing, which emphasize the need for creating such normative legal, financial and economic conditions that would encourage the economic entities to invest in reduction of their ecological footprint. Based on examination and summary of the leading world practices in the sphere of state support, and application of the relevant market tools for the development of eco-investing, the article provides recommendations on the development of comprehensive mechanism for its economic motivation in the Russian Federation. Such mechanism successfully combines the methods and tools of both positive and negative motivation, concernment and responsibility measures.

Experimental study of analgesic mechanisms of 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid derivative (compound NI-9) in rat

Annotation. The problem of effective and safe treatment of pain syndromes is a priority area of modern medicine, since pain syndrome is often accompanied by economic costs, a drop in labor productivity and an increase in the risk of other diseases. The derivative 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide (compound NI-9) has shown a significant analgesic effect in various models of pain syndromes. The aim of this work was to experimentally study the mechanisms of the analgesic activity of compound NI-9 using pharmacological analyzers in the tail-flick test. The study was performed on 210 male Wistar rats. Statistical processing of the obtained results was performed using the software package STATISTICA 10.0 with the calculation of the mean value, standard error of the mean, confidence interval (p). The experiments used: naloxone, prazosin, clonidine, yohimbine, isoproterenol, propranolol, nalbuphine, chlorpromazine, dopamine, nakom, memantine, phenylephrine. The results showed that the opioidergic system was not involved in the antinociceptive effect of compound NI-9. At the same time, the participation of alpha-1 and alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, dopamine receptors, and also partially NMDA receptors has been proven. The data obtained serve as the basis for further preclinical studies of N- (4-methoxybenzyl) -4-methyl-2,2-dixo-1H-2Λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid (compounds NI-9) as a non-narcotic analgesic, which can compete with already known drugs of this class in the treatment of diseases accompanied by inflammatory and pain syndrome.